It's funny, you can go months, even years, without seeing something in sports, then it happens twice in a matter of days. On Feb. 4, Penguins coach Michel Therrien publicly blamed defenseman Ryan Whitney for an overtime loss in New Jersey. Monday night, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy called out star center Dwight Howard in the media after a loss to Cleveland.

A trend?

We only can hope.

It's sad, Therrien's and Van Gundy's motivational tactics are considered extreme and harsh. We're in an age in sports where the players have the big contracts and all of the power. A coach no longer can worry just about Xs and Os and getting his team ready to win. He has to keep his players happy so they will continue to play for him. If they quit on him, he gets fired.

This leads to a lot of unseemly butt-smooching.

That's why Therrien and Van Gundy are refreshing. They are not afraid to be the boss. They are going to do what they think is right for their team and their players even if it means bruising one of their millionaires' egos.

Bravo for them.

If more coaches had their strength, the games we watch would be better. At least the players wouldn't feel so entitled.

Therrien has been here long enough that's it's obvious: He doesn't care if the players like him. "It's my job to get the best out of them," he has said. "They can't always be in a position where they feel comfortable."

That approach hasn't won Therrien any popularity contests in the Penguins' dressing room even if he insists, "These players know I care about them. I'm not against them. I'm for them." One day, his tough love -- if that's what you want to call it -- probably will get him fired. That's certainly happened to Penguins coaches before him. Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman? The players thought he was too aloof and demeaning and ran him off. Kevin Constantine? The players thought he was too rigid and ran him off, too.

But for now, at least, Therrien's style is working. The Penguins' record since the start of the 2006-07 season is 79-45-16. Last season, they improved by 47 points and made the playoffs for the first time in six years. This season, they're fighting for first place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.

Therrien does a nice job picking his spots. He knows his guys better than anyone, knows which ones respond to stroking and to a public kick in the fanny. He coached many of the players in Wilkes-Barre before he took the Penguins job in December 2005.

Look at how Therrien has handled young goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Last season, after Therrien threatened to send him to the minors before the season and after he benched him for two games and publicly criticized his play in February, Fleury played his best hockey. Early this season, Therrien again benched Fleury and called him -- at least his confidence -- "fragile." It took Fleury a while to respond this time, but he won his final four starts before his high ankle sprain, allowing zero, one, one and two goals.

Therrien was even tougher on Whitney, who, like Fleury, played for him in the minors. After the loss in New Jersey, he said Whitney was "not aggressive at all. It cost the game."

Whitney, who signed a six-year, $24 million contract before this season and has security and a salary that dwarf Therrien's, reacted like a pro, which Therrien surely expected. He didn't pout, saying he understood where his coach was coming from and that he also wasn't happy with his play. Then, he picked up his game. He had two goals and an assist the next time out, a 4-3 win against the New York Islanders. Since being blistered by Therrien, by all accounts, he has tried to play a more physical game, even if he'll never be confused with Ulf Samuelsson.

That's good coaching.

Van Gundy certainly can appreciate it. What he did with Howard was even more bold because Howard is his franchise player and will start in the NBA All-Star game tonight. Think Therrien going after Sid Crosby.

Van Gundy benched Howard in the fourth quarter of the loss to Cleveland, then publicly criticized him for caring too much about offense and not enough about rebounding and defense. "We've got a little bit of a conflict," Van Gundy admitted.

Howard, like Whitney, shook off the sting like a man.

"Coach said what he had to say," Howard told the Orlando Sentinel. "Knowing Stan, the main thing is that he's not going to let me be mediocre. He's going to continue every day to push me to get better."

Howard's line in Orlando's next game, a 109-98 win against Denver Wednesday night: 23 points, 24 rebounds, 2 blocks.

And there was this:

"[Van Gundy] will never have to question my effort again," Howard said.

It's worth repeating.

That's good coaching.